St. Louis was a hotbed of achievement under Pierre Laclede. He became a pioneer of globalization in the fur trade with a “spirit of St. Louis” in his diplomacy with local Indians. [Founding St. Louis; Frederick Fausz, p20]
Charles Lindbergh had a single-minded goal to land his plane “Spirit of St. Louis” in France. He then pioneered advancements in health. “If man could take to the skies, Lindbergh mused, why could he not remain on earth forever?” [A. Scott Berg “Lindbergh”]
Bringing a spiritual approach to medical practices of her day, Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “Health is not a condition of matter; but of Mind [God].” Mark Twain described this Christian pioneer as in some ways “the most interesting woman that ever lived, and the most extraordinary…”
There is a sea change today in medicine spurred by this same pioneering spirit. More and more doctors recognize that health is not only about what is happening with the body. It is also about our relationship to the divine.
Visionary mind-body-spirit practitioner wrote, “I have known many individuals who experienced miracle cures, and all of them were humbled by the experience…they sensed that the significance of their healing went beyond the disappearance of their disease and pointed to the divine.” [Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things p. 262]
Dr Liisa Rankin, physician and author, quotes Ralph Waldo Trine, “Never affirm or repeat about your health what you do not wish to be true.” In her TEDx Talk, Rankin herself asks, “what if I told you that caring for your body is the least important part of your health?” [Mind over Medicine, by Lissa Rankin, M.D. p. 19]
Dr. Eben Alexander, a remarkable neurosurgeon makes a compelling case to re-think medicine: “…the scientific community, who are pledged to the materialist worldview, have insisted again and again that science and spirituality cannot coexist. They are mistaken.” [Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander, M.D.: p 73]
Pioneer thinking and determination – like the Spirit of St. Louis – will transform our health and wellbeing.
Steve Drake is a self-syndicated columnist writing on the relationship between thought, spirituality and health. He is also a liaison to the media and to the legislature for Christian Science in Missouri.